Notes: For Angelikah (aka thetourguidebarbie). Happy birthday! I give you smut with excessive background (because I am incapable of NOT doing that), tons of fluff, and a dash of Katherine. Title from "Sleep Tonight" by Stars. Full disclosure: everything I know about dorms comes from the movies.

Just One Beating Heart

(Prompt: First college hall meeting. Klaus hates ice-breaker activities with a burning passion. Until he doesn't. Smut.)

Klaus has just finished arranging his bookshelves the way he likes them, is both a little sad and a lot relieved that Kol won't be around to mess them up, when there's a knock at the door. He ignores it, because he's quite certain it's the blonde Resident Advisor coming to remind him about the dorm mixer that starts in five minutes. It's his own fault, for not bothering to hide his distaste, when she'd mentioned it this morning. He'd been perfectly content to play the loner in high school, why should university be any different?

But no, Camille the RA had been filled with platitudes. She'd droned on about making memories and lifelong friends and developing as a person. She might have even used the phrase 'blossoming into an adult.' Klaus is quite certain that real adults don't have their mothers footing the bill for their single dorm rooms (which was roughly the size of his walk in closet back home – but he'd rather be cramped than be forced to share his space with an imbecile for the better part of a year. Sharing a bathroom was going to be enough of a trial). She'd been so earnest about it though it was likely ripped directly from whatever RA guidebook the school handed out. Klaus had nodded and smiled, not willing to be labeled a problem student and have her hover over him, but he suspects he'd been too late.

The taps on the door come again, louder this time. And then again. Klaus heaves an irritated sigh. Could the girl not take a hint?

He throws the door open and yes, there she is. He stares at her, waits for her to state her business, but she seems not to note his surly attitude (or perhaps she just thinks she can talk it away – highly unlikely) as she grabs his arm and tows him down the hallway. Klaus is shocked, people usually knew better than to just touch him without his permission, and is about to shake her off when a group of guys files out of a room just behind them. He'd met one of them, Marcel, moving in and he'd been a pleasant enough bloke. They fall into step behind him and Camille, cutting off Klaus' exit route, and introductions begin. Klaus nods to the new people (Thierry, Diego and Josh) and resigns himself to a few hours monotony as he's absorbed in the chattering group.

Caroline's one of the first people in the room where the mixer's being held, having dragged her roommate (reluctantly, as Katherine had been debating which pair of shoes best complimented her outfit) with her. She'd been kind of dreading sharing a space with a stranger for months but Katherine seems cool. Calculating, to the point, and kind of territorial, but Caroline could roll with that. She didn't like other people touching her stuff either. Only child syndrome, probably. The other girl had pressed a flask of vodka on Caroline before leaving the room, taking another of whiskey for herself, so at the very least the other girl would probably be a lot of fun.

Katherine picks out a chair and pulls Caroline down to sit on the arm, "You're my buffer. I already know I don't hate you. Keep the idiots away so I don't have to stab anyone."

Caroline rolls her eyes but she wouldn't put it past Katherine to be carrying a weapon. If nothing else one of the heels of the sky high stilettos she's got on would probably puncture flesh just fine. Katherine has soon charmed a nearby boy into fetching them drinks and a couple of cookies (and just as easily dismissed the poor guy when he lingered near them) and they're watching the rest of the floor's occupants filter through the door.

Katherine seems pretty unimpressed, for the most part, ("That's the worst dye job I've ever seen." "Birkenstocks are never the correct choice." "Ugh. I hate hipsters." "If My Little Pony Fedora Guy comes near me I will not be held responsible for my actions, Caroline.") though she calls dibs on most of the more attractive guys.

The room's nearly full when a familiar face enters it. He looks annoyed, but that's nothing unusual, Klaus had never had much patience for people. "Dibs!" Caroline blurts out, before Katherine can.

"Finally!" Katherine says, peering past Caroline, "I was getting worried I had a goody-goody on my hands. He's pretty hot, but I prefer my man candy tall, dark, and handsome. You can have him."

Caroline's not at all surprised that Katherine viewed 'dibs' as subject to her approval but is glad she won't have a fight on her hands. Cause she would have fought hard.

Klaus is glancing around the room and he seems to start as he catches sight of her. Caroline gives him a wave and he shoots her a small smile.

"Wait, do you know him?" Katherine asks.

"Yeah. He went to my high school. I didn't know he was going here, though."

"Caroline, the whole point of college is to test drive new dicks. Not drive old beaters into the ground, you know?"

Caroline coughs slightly on the sip of Coke she'd just taken, "I've never, uh, driven, that one."

"Oh. Well then, that's alright. Get it, girl," Katherine touches her plastic cup to Caroline's, "Happy hunting."

Klaus is shocked (and thrilled, he'll admit privately) to see Caroline Forbes seated in the lounge of his dormitory. They'd talked about their post-graduation plans, once or twice, but nothing too specific. She's talking to a brunette (who's raking him with a predatory gaze) and he's just about to go over and say hello when a shrill whistle sounds and the room goes quiet.

The other RA, another Psych student named Vincent, calls everyone to attention. He announces they'll be starting with some icebreakers and Klaus barely holds in a groan. He'd rather let Rebekah give him a makeover than play tedious getting to know you games with people he has no interest in getting to know.

But he can't exactly make an escape, not with Camille the pushy RA at his side. And as Caroline's eyes find his again he finds his desire to leave wilts. Because while he does know her, at least a little, he very much wants to know more.

Klaus had met Caroline on his first day at Mystic Falls High School. His first period after lunch was Art and he'd been early, having ditched the cafeteria (and his assigned guide) at the earliest opportunity. The school wasn't that big, especially compared to the one he'd attended in London, so he'd found his way easily enough.

From the second he'd stepped out of his car Klaus had felt like an insect pinned to a board. It was a small town and it seemed like people rarely moved to Mystic Falls. Understandable, as it lacked much in the way of attractions. Honestly the only reason his mother had picked it was because, according to the kick she'd gone on a few years prior, some of her relatives had once resided in the area. So when Esther was looking for a fresh start, post-messy divorce, small town Virginia had seemed ideal.

Klaus had been sorely tempted to stay behind in London. Elijah had offered to him the spare bedroom of his flat, and he could have continued his education uninterrupted. But Rebekah's eyes had gone round and watery, Kol's face perfectly blank, when Klaus not going with them had been mentioned. Henrick, only four, had clung to his legs, shaking his head in denial, and so Klaus had really had no other choice but to go with them.

And now here he was, starting a new school a few weeks into September, in what would be his second to last (junior? He thinks that's what American's call it) year.

He'd mostly weathered his new classmates comments in silence. Really, what kind of imbecile didn't know that Hogwarts was in Scotland, not England? But if one more giggling girl asked him to repeat some nonsensical sentence, so she could marvel at his accent, Klaus was going to snap.

A little time to himself had become necessary.

Klaus had selected a table near the back and pulled out a sketchbook. He'd gotten absorbed in it, and was startled to hear the door creak open. A quick glance at the clock told him the lunch period wasn't finished yet. A pretty blonde in a red dress flounces in, pulls up short when she sees him, "Oh! Sorry. I didn't expect anyone to be in here."

Klaus shrugs in response, keeping his mouth shut in order to avoid any more gushing over how he talks. He vaguely knows who she is (head cheerleader, chair of every dance committee, dates the quarterback, kind of a bitch – had been the rundown his guide had given him).

The girl comes further into the room, plopping her bag onto the table next to him, "I'm Caroline. You're new. Transferred from England, right? You're all the rage in the girl's bathroom."

Klaus can't help but cringe at that and she giggles. "Don't worry. I don't think you're a parrot. I'll get my sexy accent fix from the BBC if I need one."

"I'm Klaus," he offers, slightly grateful.

She beams a smile at him, pulls off her jacket, "Nice to meet you! How are you liking Mystic Falls?"

They'd chatted casually until the bell had rung and more students began to file in. At the end of the class she'd offered him another smile and pointed him in the direction of his chemistry class. Klaus had been left somewhat mystified as 'bitch' wouldn't have been on the list of words he'd have used to describe Caroline Forbes.

Of course, that impression hadn't lingered too long. As they continued to sit together he'd become privy to Caroline's biting wit and myriad of opinions. She'd confessed to signing up for the art class thinking it would be an easy A and have minimal homework (her schedule otherwise being jam packed with AP prerequisites) and also hoping it would make her look more well-rounded on her college applications.

But, as it turned out, that was not the case. Caroline lacked much in the way of natural artistic talent and often grumbled when Klaus produced something the teacher praised without much fuss. Her own work usually received kudos for the effort and gentle critiques on the technique.

Caroline Forbes was not a fan of critiques, as it turned out. And she often let loose with some choice words for their instructor, words that left Klaus struggling not to laugh too loudly, as soon as the teacher was out of earshot.

She was definitely a bitch, but Klaus found that he liked Caroline very much, regardless. And well, he was a teenage boy and she was beautiful. And there was no uniform at this school. Caroline was quite fond of flirty dresses and tiny shorts. Is it any wonder that she came to star in the vast majority of the fantasies he spun while he touched himself in the shower? He thought it was the only logical outcome to their proximity. She had a boyfriend though, and was the loyal sort. He'd resigned himself to the fact that the dreams were all he'd ever have.

Forty five minutes into this mixer and Klaus was quite sure he was in hell. How some of these people had managed to survive eighteen years of life was beyond him. Surely the herd should have been thinned, at some point?

The only tiny moment of relief had come when the brunette Caroline had been sitting with earlier (Katherine was her name. She was rooming with Caroline and seemed equally as contemptuous of most of their peers, so at least seemed to be somewhat intelligent) had subtly waved a flask at him and poured a generous measure into his cup mumbling, "Caroline says you're cool. If you rat us out they'll never find your corpse," before whirling away.

Violent thing, but she seemed to have decent taste in whiskey.

The next game was called (two truths and a lie, how original) and Klaus was shuffled into a group. He was surprised to see Caroline across from him and opened his mouth to greet her only to be stopped by a subtle shake of her head. Their previous acquaintance probably made it cheating for them to play this game together. He's not surprised she's overlooking that, given how much she likes to win.

He returns her nod and she grins at him. Klaus finds himself unable to do anything but smile back.

Caroline bounces slightly as she waits for the girl on her left to formulate her responses. She might be a little tipsy but she's having a pretty good time. She doubts any of the people she's met so far will become her new bestie but a few of them seem cool enough. She's even met two people who share her major and seem to have a couple of the same classes. She's already planning a study group.

Plus her keen observational skills, and the fact that she's been paying attention as they cycled through other games (and the fact that Klaus isn't exactly a stranger) means that she's going to kick ass at two truths and a lie.

Her confidence is well founded as she immediately spots the lie the other girl tells. Amateur. Point for Caroline. Klaus goes next and he smirks at her as he says, "I have four brothers, I was born in Wales and I moved to Savannah, Georgia when I was in high school."

Caroline's eyes narrow at him, was he throwing her a soft ball? Please. Like she needed it.

Not that she won't take it. Caroline and the other boy in their group correctly guess the lie about where he lived. The other girl expresses shock that Klaus has so many brothers.

"And a sister, love" he tells her, "who's worse than all of them combined."

The girl (Greta, Caroline was pretty sure was her name, and could she be any more obvious?) giggles obnoxiously and puts her hand on Klaus' arm. Caroline glares at it but sadly fails to remove it from his person with the power of her mind.

When she looks back at Klaus he's eyeing her knowingly. "I do believe it's your turn," he says innocently. "What was your name again, sweetheart?"

Oh, it is on. Pretending he didn't know her? Maybe he was into what's her name. Well that was too bad. Caroline had called dibs.

Tossing her hair back and pasting on her best Miss Mystic smile Caroline takes her turn, "My name is Caroline. I'm from Mystic Falls, Virginia. I was captain of my high school's varsity volleyball team. And I had very explicit fantasies about this hot guy in my Art class drawing me like one of his French girls."

Klaus chokes on the sip he'd just taken and doesn't that just serve him right? Greta is shooting her a judging look and Caroline raises an eyebrow, challenging her to comment, until the other girl looks away. The fourth person in their group, a skinny guy wearing a Batman t-shirt, has turned slightly pink and is looking at the ground.

Caroline keeps the smile on her face, meets Klaus' gaze steadily as he composes himself and looks back at her, "Well? Any guesses? Or should we just skip this whole thing and call me the winner?"

No one had been amenable to that, though Klaus doesn't think Caroline minds. She's shamelessly sprinkled the rest of her answers with slightly sexual truths. Klaus has been trying to force himself to recite football statistics, and think of biology dissections, in order to avoid an obvious erection.

She's watching him knowingly, fully aware of the affect she's having on him. The evil little tease.

Thinking unsexy thoughts is easier said than done, when all he really wanted to do was think about her first confession. He's almost entirely certain she was talking about him. Klaus couldn't quite recall her talking to any other of their classmates too often. They'd shared a table for nearly two years, and he'd paid her plenty of attention.

When the next activity is called Caroline shoots him a sultry look, biting her lip coyly, and saying, "See you later. Klaus was it?" before flitting away.

He watches her walk away, sure she's swaying her hips more than she needs to, barely hearing the other girl who'd been in their group trying to talk to him.

She passes Katherine on her way to the next activity. Katherine gives her a measuring look, "That guy is looking at you like he wants to eat you. I'm kind of impressed, Forbes."

Caroline glances back over her shoulder and sure enough Klaus is still watching her, lips parted, eyes hungry. God, this is fun. She'd never really allowed herself to flirt with Klaus, having been in a relationship for the entire time they'd known each other. Caroline and Tyler had been drifting apart for months, towards the end of Senior Year, and they'd gone their separate ways to college after a friendly break up over the summer.

Which is not to say that she'd never thought about flirting with Klaus. He was hot, she had a healthy libido, and there was something about his hands, the way he held a pencil and produced beautiful things, that would often sent a lick of heat low in her belly. Caroline had given serious consideration to what those fingers could do on her skin, while alone and in her bed, her own too slender fingers working between her thighs.

She's thanking her lucky stars for the opportunity to find out now.

Caroline shifts restlessly as those dirty thoughts scroll through her mind, before turning back to Katherine, and lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, "Yeah. And I'm totally going to let him."

Katherine snickers, "Nice. You and I are going to get along just fine."

Klaus had tried to catch Caroline before leaving, with plans of asking her to join him for coffee or dinner tomorrow, once the event had mercifully come to a close. She'd been caught up in conversation with a few other people, talking animatedly about classes, so he takes his leave. He makes his way to his room and begins gathering his things to take a shower when he hears another knock at his door. He grits his teeth, if it's the RA again, come to natter on about his socialization…

Answering the door he sees that it is indeed a blonde on the other side, but one he likes far better. "Hi," Caroline says, "did you know there are four single rooms on this floor? This is the third one I've tried."

Klaus leans against the door frame, "Eager to see me, love?"

She narrows her eyes at him as she cocks a hip and rests a hand on it, "Oh, I'm sorry. Am I disturbing you? I can go…"

Caroline's barely rocked backwards a step before he's reached out and grabbed her arm. He pulls her into his room, closing the door and backing her against it. She lets him crowd her, watching him curiously as he lifts a hand to toy with a few of the curls that drape over her shoulder, "Feel free to disturb me anytime."

She smiles, nudges him to the side and walks around his room, inspecting things here and there. She pauses at the desk, rests her hand on his sketchbook, and then turns to him, a smile creeping across her face that makes Klaus' breath catch. "So, full disclosure. I've had a bit of alcohol. I am not, however, in any way impaired. Do you want me to do some of the drunk tests? I know them all, because of my mom."

"Close your eyes and touch your fingertip to your nose," Klaus instructs. Caroline rolls her eyes but complies, doing it easily and without even a quiver of hesitation. Klaus considers asking her to walk in a straight line but he'd rather not annoy her, especially if things are going to go the way he hopes they are. "How's Tyler?" he asks instead.

Caroline's eyes pop open and meet his. She turns and sits down on his bed, crossing her legs as she shrugs, "Fine, I think. We broke up in July, only saw each other a few times after. I assume he's at school in Kentucky."

"I'm sorry," Klaus says. Because it seems like the correct thing to say about the dissolution of a three year relationship even though 'sorry' is the last thing he is.

"I'm not," Caroline replies immediately. "It was time."

Klaus is just about to ask what she means by that but Caroline takes a deep breath and stands abruptly. The white tank top she'd been wearing is discarded on the floor and she's going for the clasp on her beige bra when his brain catches up and he manages to stutter out, "What are you doing?"

Caroline hesitates for a moment. But then chin lifts stubbornly and the traces of nervousness are smoothed away. Klaus has spent the better part of two years making a study of Caroline Forbes' expressions, however. He knows bravado when he sees it. So he keeps his eyes on her face, even when the bra drops. "Did you think I was lying about my explicit fantasies? I wasn't."

"You want me to draw you?"

"Yes. Unless of course you don't want too? I thought… I mean you weren't exactly subtle with how you looked at me sometimes so I just assumed…" she brings her arms up to cover herself and looks away.

"I do," Klaus blurts out, because it's entirely possible he'll die if she stops. "I do want to. And if you assumed that I've liked you for quite a while than you were correct."

A delighted smile touches her lips and when she says, "Good," her voice has lowered slightly. Her posture straightens, hands falling away as her confidence returns, and Klaus allows his gaze to wander, down the pale skin of her neck and shoulders, further, lingering on her breasts, her nipples pink and puckered. Klaus itches to touch and taste.

He glances at her hands, which have opened her shorts. He sees blue lace underneath but both shorts and knickers are quickly discarded. She sits down again, and holy fuck, she'd naked and in his bed. He takes a second to savor the thought as Caroline undoes the zippers of her shoes before kicking them off.

Leaning back, she bunches his pillows up behind her, draws her legs up and curls them to the side. Klaus registers that he's staring at her, probably gaping most unattractively, just before she lets out a soft laugh, "Is this okay? How I'm sitting? I think we both know I'm not the artist here."

Klaus clears his throat, turns away to collect his sketchbook on autopilot. Drags a chair over and sits down, somewhat gingerly as he's been hard since she started stripping. "It's fine. You're perfect." This is probably going to be the worst drawing he's produced in his life, but that has more to do with how much his hands are shaking than anything else.

Klaus flips to a new page. Takes a few steadying breaths, though he tries not to be too obvious about it, "Try not to move so much, okay?"

Klaus starts at her feet. They're typically kind of difficult to get right, and probably the least erotic part of her body, so he thinks it's a good idea. He takes quick glances, mostly concentrating on the lines he's drawing. She had said she wanted him to draw her and he was going to deliver. If he looks at her too long he'll never get it done. The room is silent, save for the sound of his pencil scratching away, for several minutes. It's tense. But in a good way, anticipation prickling his skin, heating his blood. He can't say this scenario has never factored into his own fantasies, though he'd never actually expect it to happen, let alone be something Caroline initiated.

Perhaps icebreakers aren't so bad.

Caroline's never really been all that good at the whole sitting still, sitting quietly thing. That dates back to when she was a baby, to hear her parents tell it, when she began crawling and walking (and talking, obviously) way ahead of schedule. Really, she'd always thought they should be grateful she was so advanced. People love to brag about their kids, come on.

And having the full focus of Klaus' eyes on her, even on the not so sexual parts of her (he's currently staring raptly at her knees) is actually getting her kind of hot. It's a fight not to squirm and clench her thighs together more tightly, shift a little to see if the ache that's building will ease.

She's not sure how to let him know that she'd like to move things along though. She'd brushed her teeth before coming here. She'd gotten naked and climbed into his bed. Was it too much to ask that Klaus make the next move and actually kiss her, touch her, something?

But no, he's entirely focused on the paper in front of him. She might as well be a bowl of fruit, clearly. She grits her teeth, forces herself to remain relaxed since this had been her brilliant idea, after all.

Artists. So annoying.

When Klaus finally makes his way to her face (hoping she'd not noted the painstaking attention to detail he'd used to capture the few freckles that dotted the curves of her breasts) he's greeted with the sight of Caroline fast asleep, lips slightly parted, the fan of her lashed resting gently on her cheeks.

She looks lovely and peaceful and Klaus feels kind of terrible for the wave of disappointment that crashes over him. He'd rather thought this was a form of foreplay, after all. But he shakes it off, reminds himself that Caroline is now single, and living in close proximity. He'll have another chance. He'll make sure of it.

Klaus finishes the drawing, lays the sketchbook on his desk without closing it. He doesn't know if he'll get this opportunity again so he doesn't want to mar it with smudges. He grabs one of the extra blankets from the closet. Caroline's laying on the ones that cover the bed, and he doesn't want her to get cold.

Then he grabs his towel and the shower bucket he'd discarded earlier and goes to take a very cold shower.

Caroline wakes up slightly disoriented for a minute. She's in a weird position, for one, laying the wrong way across a single bed, legs hanging over the side. She pushes up from the wall she'd been slumped against, winces as she rolls out the kinks in her neck. It all comes back as she sees Klaus, stretched out and dozing, on the floor.

She'd fallen asleep? Kind of embarrassing. But it had been an early morning, followed by a long day of hauling boxes with her dad and Steven, then unpacking everything. It made sense that she'd been tired.

But Klaus could have woken her up. Seriously, there was being a gentleman and then there was being dense.

She grabs one of the pillows from behind her. And then she throws it directly at his head.

Klaus startles, sitting up immediately, his eyes darting around the room, "Caroline. What…"

Caroline's never exactly been at her best when she just wakes up. Ask anyone. They'll tell you to steer clear because she gets pretty cranky. So it's with exasperation that she speaks next, "Why are you sleeping on the floor, you idiot?"

Klaus rubs a hand over his face, "You fell asleep."

"Duh. I got that. Are you somehow the only person in the world who's never seen Titanic?"

"No, I have. Bekah loves it."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I'm sorry?" Klaus looks confused and it would be kind of adorable another time. But Caroline is irritated and horny and sick of his inability to take a damn hint already. Coyness had gotten her nowhere. He'd said that he liked her, and he knew her well enough to know that she wasn't always the best at filtering her thoughts. She's got to assume that he likes that too.

"I asked what your problem is? Because anyone with two brain cells to rub together, who's seen Titanic, would get that 'draw me like one of your French girls' is code for hot, sweaty sex!"

Klaus' eyes widen and his mouth falls open, "Oh. You want to…" he motions helplessly between the two of them.

"Yes!"

He still seems somewhat at a loss, sitting on the floor. Caroline can't help the frustrated noise she lets out as she pushes the blanket aside and slides to join him on the floor. She walks over on her knees until she's right beside him. He looks up at her, swallows harshly as she straddles him. But his hands come up to rest on her hips, tentatively smoothing up her back.

"Do you want to?" Caroline asks, settling back on his legs.

Klaus nods, immediately, and so she seals her mouth over his, nipping at his bottom lip until he opens his mouth to her with a groan. She strokes his tongue with hers aggressively, tipping his head back with a hand in his curls as she tastes him for the first time.

His hands on her skin become less hesitant, squeezing her ass and pulling her against him more firmly. He moans as she pulls back, his mouth going insistently to her throat, placing kisses and licks and bites down the length of it. Caroline arches back, gives him more room, pressing her hips down into his.

One of his arms wraps around her back as the other comes up to cup her breast, thumbing the nipple just as his teeth graze the other. Klaus takes his time, playing with her, finding what she likes. And by the time he's found the perfect combination, of rough strokes and soothing circles, her breath is coming out in pants and gasps, and she's pretty sure there front of his jeans must be damp from where she's grinding against him.

God, as if he's still fully dressed.

It's that thought that has her pushing him away, forcing him down onto his back. He growls out a protest but she scoots back, shoves up his t-shirt, and presses her mouth just above the waistband of his jeans, biting gently and palming him over his clothes, when he moves to sit up. He stills underneath her, watching her raptly. "Take off your shirt," Caroline demands, as she unbuckles his belt.

He complies hastily, tugging it off as she gets his pants undone. Caroline hooks her fingers in the waistband, grabbing his boxer briefs at the same time. She pulls them down, Klaus lifting his hips to help, until his cock springs free.

She wraps her hand around the base of him, drags her fist up, thumbs the head until his eyes roll back and he moans her name. Then she ducks her head and licks.

"Fuck, Caroline!" his voice is hoarse but she wants it desperate and pleading.

Caroline draws him into her mouth, slowly descending, strokes what she can't take in with her hand, before she pulls back with a hard suck, using her free hand to fondle his balls.

The whiny noise he makes is highly gratifying.

She continues to work him, licks along his length before sucking his cock back in, hollowing her cheeks and watching his fists clench the carpet next to them as he fights not to move too much. Her name fall from his lips in between ragged inhalations. "Caroline, please. I'm almost…"

She hums around him and the rest of what he was going to say is lost in a strangled groan as he comes. She swallows around him, works him through, before pulling back gently, and sitting up.

He's a mess, sprawled on the floor. Eyes glazed, sweaty, chest rising rapidly as he fights to catch his breath.

"Thank you," he says. Though he looks embarrassed afterwards, like he hadn't meant to say that.

"You're welcome," Caroline replies, grinning down at him in a way that's probably kind of smug.

"Come here," he beckons her closer, turning to his side to face her, kicking his pants off the rest of the way, as she lays down next to him.

"Can I ask you kind of a personal question?"

Klaus snorts, glances down at their naked bodies, "I think so, love."

"You've done this before, right? I'm not like, deflowering you here. Not that I'd mind, because there's nothing wrong with waiting. But I'd kind of like to know, just so I'm prepared."

"Have some teacher fantasies rattling around, Miss Forbes?" Klaus looks amused.

Caroline considers it. It's not something she's really put much thought into but it could be kind of fun. Later. "I feel like role play might be a little advanced."

"That's not a no," he notes, "But I'm not a virgin. Took care of that before I set foot in the States, actually."

"Oh. Good. I just never saw you with anyone at school, so I wondered."

"That's because I wasn't interested in any of the other girls at school. Had a bit of a fling with one of the girls on your rival cheer squads last summer."

Caroline gasps, offended. Klaus grabs her knee and hooks it over his hip, "Was it Melissa Moreland? Because if so, ew. She is the worst."

Klaus hand is creeping up her thigh, "It was not."

She's opened her mouth to reply but his fingers have ghosted over her pussy, and she loses her train of though. He does it again, a few times, until she hitches her leg higher to give him more access. Klaus' ability to pick up hints has clearly improved with orgasm because he immediately applies more pressure, circling her opening for a moment before finding her clit.

And yeah, he's definitely done this a time or two, because the gentle circles he's making, only occasionally brushing over her nub? Really fucking good. Her eyes drift closed and he stops moving in response. "What's wrong?" she asks, shifting restlessly.

"Eyes open, Caroline."

Caroline nods, peeling her lids up to look at him once again, and Klaus slips a finger inside of her, drawing a moan from her. He quickly adds another, gliding them in and out while his thumb takes over on her clit. He encourages her to roll over onto her back and climbs over, leaning up to kiss her as the pace of his fingers increases with the insistent rolling of her hips. Caroline pulls back, unable to concentrate on his lips against hers, mindlessly digging her nails into his back every time his fingers hook just right.

She's so close, and she tries to tell him so, but only manages to moan his name, struggling to keep her eyes open so he doesn't stop. He seems to get what she wants though, thumb rubbing her clit more intently, until her thighs are shaking and she's straining against him, the tension in her limbs coiling tighter and tighter until in snaps exquisitely and she throws an arm over her mouth to muffle her cry.

Caroline's trying to catch her breath. She looks incredible like this, flushed and satisfied. Klaus is hard again, but he finds that as much as he aches to be inside of her, this is enough for now. He reaches up to the bed, pulls down some pillows and the blanket. Gathers her close and covers them. Caroline shoves a pillow under her head, "Why are we on the floor again?" she asks.

"I have no idea. You're the one who followed me down."

"On the bright side there's more room down here."

Klaus hums an agreement.

A slightly awkward silence befalls them. Caroline's fidgety, her eyes shifting around the room. She sneaks a peek at Klaus out of the corner of her eye but he's propped himself up on his elbow, watching her, trying to decipher the expressions flitting rapidly across her face, "What?" she questions.

He laughs softly, "Nothing! I've just never seen you so quiet."

"Oh. Sorry?" The apology comes out like a question.

"No, it's not bad, love," he assures her, "Just different. I like it, but I also liked hearing you rant about how your co-chair of the decade dance committee had less taste than a color blind chimpanzee. I quite enjoy your rambles on just about all subjects."

"Oh."

"Would you go out with me tomorrow?" Klaus asks, and he curses himself for sounding nervous. He can't help it, not really. He'd thought it likely that he'd never see her again, both of them having been set on getting out of Mystic Falls. He's never believed in fate but her being here kind of makes him wonder if he should.

"Yes," she says simply.

He smiles, pleased, "Excellent. Now, do you object to moving things to the bed?"

"You want me to stay?"

Klaus shoots her an incredulous look, "Of course I do. Your roommates not going to come looking for you, is she? I only met her briefly but she's a bit scary. Besides, it's 3AM."

"She knows. Was really, uh, encouraging," Klaus wonders if he should ask her to elaborate, decides against it.

He gets up, grabs a pair of sweats and slips them on, offers Caroline another pair and a t-shirt. She takes them and dresses while he turns down the covers on the bed. He climbs in, waits for her to join him. She still seems kind of unsure so Klaus says, "You know, I'm really glad that RA shanghaied me into going this evening. I was going to stay in, you see."

Caroline sits down, lays back gingerly, "Yeah. It doesn't seem like your scene."

"It's definitely not. But you were there. And it turned out to be a fantastic night."

She rolls her head to the side to look at him, "Yeah?"

"One of the best in my memory," Klaus tells her seriously.

Caroline finally relaxes, fits herself against his body more snugly, resting an arm across his stomach, "Mine too," she replies quietly.

Klaus presses a kiss to her hair, tells her goodnight, listens to her breaths deepen as she falls asleep. Decides that he'll do everything in his power to make sure that many more nights end just like this one.